Motorola Solutions invests in VocalZoom

Motorola Solutions has through its investment arm, Motorola Solutions Venture Capital, invested in VocalZoom Ltd., a developer of sensors for speech enhancement. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

VocalZoom has developed an optoelectronic microphone able to substantially enhance a speaker’s voice over any background noise. The technology creates a “virtual cube” in space, sensing sound from only within the cube.

Motorola Solutions’ investment in VocalZoom is part of its strategy to advance mission-critical communications by connecting public safety and commercial customers with real-time data and intelligence like never before. As part of its ongoing effort to push the boundaries of innovation, the company believes VocalZoom’s technology can establish a new frontier in voice commands and sharing of intelligence with public safety personnel through devices, even in a noisy environment or in the heat of the moment with a perpetrator. Voice-enabled technology is one of many ways that Motorola Solutions is defining the future of mission-critical public safety communications.

“VocalZoom has the potential to be the difference of whether a firefighter can communicate at a dangerous fire scene or if a transportation or utility worker can give or receive information in a noisy work environment,” said Paul Steinberg, chief technology officer at Motorola Solutions. “For police officers, for example, turning their heads to communicate can be the difference between life and death for them or the people they are protecting, or the difference between whether a criminal is apprehended or escapes.”

“VocalZoom’s optical microphone is the only technology of its kind that is not affected by any background noise, and has the potential to provide disruptive voice clarity in any condition,” said VocalZoom’s Chairman, Yechiel Kurtz, “We are excited with the partnership with Motorola Solutions, which provides us with new opportunities in a large and strategic market.”